This invention relates to a medical connector for connecting a tube to a medical device such as an insulin delivery device.
Such connectors are typically provided with means such as Luer-Lock type means for connecting the end of the connector which is opposite to the end at which the tube is connected to the connector, to the medical device so as to allow the connector to be disengaged from said device, this allowing the medical device and/or the connector including the tube to be replaced.
EP 0 753 323 A1 describes a coupling for joining the ends of two tubes, said coupling comprising a male part and a female part, both the male and female part having means for attachment of the end of a tube.
EP 0 151 519 describes a tube coupling comprising a male part and a female part, both the male part and the female part comprising a tapered tube connecting portion which is adapted to be inserted into the end of a tube.
EP 0 775 501 B describes a female coupling element of the Luer-Lock type comprising an outer tubular body which is made of a relatively rigid moulded thermoplastics material and which can be connected with a complimentary male coupling element, and an inner sleeve which is made of a softer moulded thermoplastics material which at one end is fitted within the outer body in such a manner that the two parts are freely rotatable relative to each other and at the opposite end comprises a cavity for connection to e.g. a tube.
Furthermore, medical connectors consisting of a single plastics material and manufactured by injection moulding are known.
Such medical connectors comprise a through-going opening, one end of said connector being adapted to be connected with the end of a tube by gluing so as to form a permanent connection and the opposite end comprising a part of a Luer-Lock type connection for connecting the connector to a medical device such as an insulin pump.
Due to the fact that an injection moulding process is a simple manufacturing method, such medical connectors can be manufactured at low costs. However, these medical connectors suffer from a drawback.
Thus, prior to the use of a medical connector it has to be disinfected which ordinarily is effected by wiping it with a liquid disinfectant such as ethyl alcohol.
Such a treatment may cause stresses in some plastics material to be released during physical strain and may result in the formation of cracks which bring about leaks.
The selection of a plastics material which is resistant to the influence of disinfectants may cause another problem, viz. that the permanent connection of the tube end to the connector has to be effected by means of a hard glue. The use of a hard glue in contrast to a soft glue results in an inflexible connection between the tube and the connector and may result in a leakage due to repeated bending of the tube in the zone adjacent to the glue.
In the previously known connectors composed of two plastics materials, such as those described in EP 0 775 501 B, the two parts have to be made separately and be assembled afterwards. This increases the production costs compared to connectors which can be injection moulded in one-piece.